Leaving
by ILoveNeil
Summary: One-shot of Juliet and James. James approaches Juliet and tells her he wants to leave on the next sub.


_**Sorry I haven't been writing at all lately. It feels like it's been FOREVER since the last time I posted a story--sorry about that! I've been sooo busy lately and have had a lack of inspiration. Anyway, I hope you enjoy this one-shot, it's in Juliet's point of view.**_

"Got a sec', princess?" I heard a voice ask from the side of the car I was currently working on. I quickly wheeled myself out from underneath the vehicle, pulled off my work gloves, and tossed them to the side.

"What do you want, James?" I asked while glancing up, pushing a stray strand of hair out of my face in the process.

"I'm leavin'."

"Another security trip already? You just got back from the last one a few weeks ago." I questioned, oblivious to the serious tone his voice had taken on.

"I'm leavin'_ the island_." He explained gruffly, "For good."

I snapped my head upward, examining him with wide eyes, only to see his back turned towards me whilst he looked up into the bright afternoon sky.

After a moment, he turned to face me with an unreadable expression mounted on his face. I suddenly burst out into laughter, saying between chuckles, "You're leaving, huh? Before or after Jin learns fluent english and Miles snags a girlfriend?"

James stared at me for a beat before giving a sad smile and hanging his head while letting out a sigh. So he was serious then_._

Millions of thoughts instantaneously flashed through my mind like a bolt of lighting. Everything had been going so well lately, and leaving hadn't even crossed my mind in over six months--ever since the 'dock talk', that thought had completely vanished.

I swallowed hard and tried to keep the mixture of sadness and anger I was feeling masked as I asked the most essential question.

"Why?"

"_Why_?" James echoed with a snarl, "You ain't really asking me that, are ya?"

I nodded my head furiously before saying in awe, "Of course I am. I believe I have a right to know."

He brashly snapped his head away at my words, and muttered, "Just forget it, it don't matter anyways."

"James. I want you to tell me. Right now. I think I have to know, after all we've been through, after everything that's happened--we've come so far, why would you want to leave? Why would you want to--"

"It's because'a you, alright." He suddenly barked, "It's _you_. I can't be 'round ya anymore."

"Why the hell not?"

"Because I..." He scratched the back of his neck, "I got feelin's for ya."

I looked at him for a beat before shaking my head and asking slowly, "James, I though we established that that kiss was..." I sighed, "It was just one kiss--it didn't mean a thing."

**Two weeks earlier**

Jin, James, Miles and I sat around the kitchen table, just about to dig in to the feast laid out in front of us. The four of us had survived sixty whole, relatively peaceful months in Dharmaville and determined that a small celebration was in order. Earlier in the day Jin had prepared a particular rare fish he had caught, Miles had retrieved a massive amount of alcohol, and I had made an array of desserts.

I uncorked the bottle of whine Miles had purchased and poured it into each persons glass before suggesting, "I think a toast is in order. James, would you like to do the honors?"

"Be sure to make it quick LaFleur, I want to get wasted as soon as possible." Miles warned, causing me to roll my eyes and Jin to shake his head. James however, was unphased, and got up from where he was seated to give his small speach.

"Congrats everybody." He began whilst holding up his glass, "We made it a whole six months in this nuthouse without killin' one another...Don't know how we accomplished that, seein' that Miles' a consistent whiner an' Jin's never cleaned a dish in his life."

"Hey, my whining's better than your never ending line of insulting nicknames." Miles shot back as Jin simultaneously argued, "I clean a dish last week."

"The point of this wasn't to create the next Cold war." I lectured before deciding to take over the role as speach-giver, "I had a pretty great month with you boys and I'm sure you would say the same. Don't get me wrong, there's _tons _of things that annoy me about the three of you, but there's so many great things that even it out." I paused to glare at Miles who was beginning to whistle a tune as they do at awards shows in order to tell the winners to 'wrap it up'.

"So, here's to the next...however the hell long months we're going to be spending here. Now let's drink up."  
"Amen to that." James nodded, clinking his glass against each of ours, lingering when he got to mine, saying, "Wouldn't have survived it here without ya', blondie."

The next morning, I awoke with a slight headache and dry mouth, although that was nothing compared to how both Miles and Jin were feeling. James was faring better than the rest of us, for he had work today and couldn't bare to lose his reputation as 'the best new addition to the security team in years'.

I spent the majority of the day cleaning up the kitchen and living room which was covered in a mixture of crumbs, confetti, and spilled drinks--the four of us didn't celebrate often, but when we did, we went wild.

It was soon nearing two in the afternoon and Jin and Miles were both still locked away in their shared room, still suffering from the previous nights antics. My headache had long worn off and I decided to relax on the couch with a drink of water in one hand and a Dharma newspaper in the other.

"Hey Jules. Got ya a little somethin'." James said suddenly as he sauntered through the door, holding out his hand and dangling a sparkling, silver necklace in front of me.

"James--you didn't." I gasped, dropping the paper before reaching for the jewlery, and grabbing it from his hands as gently as I could.

"You're damn right I didn't." He agreed, "Amy saw me on my way home from work an' said she was comin' over to give it to ya. Figured I'd save her the trouble and bring it here myself."

"It's wonderful nonetheless." I commented while I twirled the necklace around my fingertips, "But I don't--I haven't worn jewlery since..._ever_, honestly."

"Well now's a good a time as any to start." He stated with a grin, motioning for me to get up before adding, "Here, let me put it on ya'."

I willingly got up, letting my back face James so that he could place the chain around my neck. As he did so, he accidently let his hand graze the back of my tank top covered shoulder. He quickly closed the clasp, then allowed his hands to slide down my back until I jokingly warned, "You better watch those hands, Casanova--or else."

"Yeah? What're ya' gonna do?" He asked with a glint in his eye, a smirk rising to his face as he turned me around to face him.

His hands caressed my hips and I quickly wiggled to get away, but he prevented me by hauling me upwards and slinging me over his shoulder.

"James!" I squealed, unable to keep my uncharacteristic girlish giggles hidden, "Put me down _right _now."

"If ya say so sweetheart." He drawled while making his way over to the couch and gingerly throwing me unto it. I landed with a thud, closing my eyes from the impact until I felt a body against mine and hot breath on my skin. With slight curiousity, my eyelids fluttered opened to see James hovering over me, and I impulsively shoved him away. However, he didn't budge and stated with a grin, "Don't tell me ya haven't fantasized 'bout this before? I know I sure as hell have."

"Well I haven't." I argued, although the thought _had _come across my mind a few times--but how could it not? James was a fairly good looking guy that I was friends with--okay, an unbelievaly _gorgeous _guy who just so happened to be closer to me than any other person ever has, save Rachel.

"Don't lie, darlin'. I heard ya' moanin' my name in yer sleep a few nights ago."

"What?" I asked, eyes growing wide whilst a blush rose to my cheeks, "I did nothing of the sort."

James barked out a single laugh, "Nah, yer right, I didn't hear ya'. But judgin' by the look on yer face, it's happened before."

"Even if I _have _thought about you in that way--which I _haven't_--then it doesn't mean I'm going to act on it." I rationed, "And neither should you."

"An' why's that?"

"Because it will surely make things complicated between us." I stated as lightly as I could, "And we don't want one of us to end up with a broken heart."

"My heart's indestructible, little miss vainglorious. Don't be thinkin' _you _of all people could break it. So 'less you got feelin's for me, then one little kiss ain't gonna do nothin', is it?"

I licked my lips, "No."

Suddenly, before I could comprehend the situation I was in, James' lips decended against mine and my heart surged with emotion. The kiss only lasted a few seconds but it felt as if it went on for a lifetime, and when James' finally pulled away, I simply stared at him, frozen.

"There. Now neither of us is heartbroken, are we?" He said with a shrug, "Doesn't hurt to do somethin' meaningless in a while, now does it?"

**(End of flashback)**

"The kiss--It _didn't _mean a thing..." He said with a heavy sigh, "At the time."

"As opposed to now, where you're madly in love with me?"

"This ain't a joke, carrot top." He snapped before beginning to storm away, causing me to harshly grab his arm.

"James. Talk to me." I prodded, my voice turning soft, "No one wants you to leave."

"_You _obviously do."

I shook my head in disbelief, "Why would I want that?"

"You been spendin' more time with everybody in Dharmaville but me lately. It's like ya been avoidin' me or somethin'."

**One week ago**

A few weeks had gone by since James' and my kiss and each day of seeing him had grew increasingly harder. I'd come home after a long day at the motor pool to find him lounging around in nothing but a towel and my stomach would flutter. Or he'd occasionally give me a freshly grown flower he swiped out of the garden and my heart would melt. Even something as habitual as him smiling at me, had the potential to draw me insane as of late.

"Juliet...Juliet? _Juliet_." Someone droned on, snapping me out of my thoughts, "Does that sound good to you?"

I picked my head up to see Phil standing in front of me, arms crossed, waiting for an answer.

"Umm...yeah, yeah, it sounds perfect, Phil." I stuttered, unsure of what he had been asking of. Quite frankly, I hadn't even remembered that he had been in the room with me, let alone in the middle of a conversation.

"Great." He said with a massive grin, "I'll pick you up at eight then?"

Before I could get another word out, he fled the motor pool and was out of sight. I shrugged before going back to the van I was supposed to be fixing--I guess I was working with Phil tonight.

"He's the worst liar o' all time--I mean, seriously, at least come up with somethin' believable." James complained to Miles as they both stamped through the door later that day.

"Hey, he _could _be telling the truth. You never know." Miles retorted with a shrug.

"What are you two hot shot's talking about?" I inquired, "Jin say he didn't eat the last of the chips again?"

"Nah, Phil was just spoutin' out some stuff 'bout..." He paused to belt out a laugh, "He said you an' him were goin' on a date tonight."

"Really?" I asked with a laugh, "Why would he--" I paused midsentence when the realization of my earlier conversation with Phil set in, "Oh..."

"Ya' actin' like it's true." James said slowly, examining my expression carefully.

"I think it is." I sighed, bringing my hand to my forehead.

"You _think_?" James asked in bewilderment while Miles began to chuckly excessively and say, "This is gonna be good."

"Well, he--he came to the motor pool today and asked me something but I--I guess I wasn't paying attention and agreed to whatever he said..." I explained, flustered.

"Well what the hell was so important that ya' were daydreamin' about that ya' accidently agreed to go out with a jackass like him?"

"That's irrelevant." I shrugged off, "Now if you'll excuse me, I have to go break the news to Phil."

"You're going to cancel the date? What fun is that?" Miles whined, "At least go out with him _once_--the poor guy hasn't had a date in months."

"Shut it, Bonsai. If she don't break the date, I will. She's sure as hell not goin' out with Phil. He only wants her to make Rosie jealous anywho."

A few minutes later and a very annoyed Phil opened his front door to hear that I couldn't make the date tonight and was 'so sorry it didn't work out'. I left without another word and quickly hurried back to my own house and that was it.

Except that _wasn't _it. James' words from earlier kept ringing in my ears: _He only wants her to make Rosie jealous anywho_. The one simple sentence unnerved me somehow, and not in the way that I would have originally thought.

Yes, it made me think back to all the previous guys who had used me in the past, to all the times I was notoriously known as the other woman. But that wasn't what made me so disheartened--I could care less about Edmund, Goodwin, or even Jack at this point.

The thing that now annoyed me was the thought that James would do such a thing. Not that I was ever going to date James--but what if I did? Would I be second best to _him_? I couldn't bare the thought.

So I did the only thing I could think of--remove myself from the situation. If I was never around James then maybe my feeling of attraction for him would dissapear. And if my infatuation with him was gone, then he wouldn't be able to hurt me...Yes, it was the perfect plan.

Except it wasn't.

**(End of Flashback)**

"So why have ya been ignorin' me, huh?" James proded, "Ya' know what, it don't matter. It's clear ya' don't want me anywhere near 'ya."

"James, don't do this--"

He quickly put his hand up to cut me off, "I'm gettin' on the sub tomorrow, blondie. 'Less, o' course, ya' can give me one good reason to stay." I remained silent for a few moments, simply staring back at him until he sighed, "Thought so."

With that, he began to storm off once again and without a second thought I yelled after him, "I love you."

James suddenly stopped in his tracks, swiftly turned around, and narrowed his eyes, "Ya' what?"

"I..._love _you." I repeated, my voice cracking slightly, "I've never felt this way before. You're one of a kind, James LaFleur."

In an instant, James' lips were passionately pressing up against mine and his fingers brushed through my hair. When we pulled away, we were both virtually breathless and I looked at James with a hopeful smile before he breathed out, "I'm stayin'."

**_Not my best story. I wrote it pretty quick and I'm not too fond of the ending. But I hope you enoyed and please review :)_**


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